Journal box end thrust means



Sept. 18, 1951 D. WILLISON JOURNAL BOX END THRUST MEANS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 30, 1948 INVENTOR. DONALD wulsolv MMM Am'pm Sept. 18, 1951 D. WILLIS-ON JOURNAL BOX END THRUST MEANS' 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 7 Filed Dec. 30, 1948 I INVENTOR. flO/VAZD h MZ/JQ/V QIMMM AIZWENL'Y Patented Sept. 18, 1951 JOURNAL BOX END THRUST MEANS Donald Willison, Willoughby, Ohio, assignor to National Malleable and Steel Castings Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application December 30, 1948, Serial No. 68,190

12 Claims. 1

This invention relates to railway journal boxes and, more particularly, to resilient thrust receiving means for cushioning relative longitudinal movement between the journal and the box.

The more conventional device of this type now in use contains several parts which require much time and effort to assemble or install. Also, many of these devices have no provision for vertical angling, so that when the journal box and its associated thrust receiving device rock vertically the thrust of the axle is taken by a point or line contact between the axle and the thrust bearing. A thrust receiving device which is responsive to the angling of the axle will provide a full area of contact with the end surface of the axle during thrusts by this member.

Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide a novel resilient journal end stop within a journal box for cushioning relative longitudinal movement between the associated journal and the box.

Another object is to provide in a journal box a resilient journal end stop which is simple and effective in cushioning end thrusts of the associated journal relative to the box.

A further object is to provide a thrust receiving member for a journal utilizing resilient material such as rubber for cushioning end thrusts of the journal and means for maintaining the member pre-loadecl to eliminate looseness of the parts while in service.

A more specific object is to provide a thrust receiving unit for a journal, comprising a pair of members mounted in the sidewalls of a journal box and a resilient pad interposed and compressed between the members, one of the members being adapted to swivel in a vertical plane to enable swivelling of the whole unit.

Another object is to provide a resilient thrust receiving means which is easily assembled and convenient to install in a journal box.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view in horizontal section showing an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an end view taken in the direction of the arrow in Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings there is shown. a journal box ll] of conventional design, having an able material.

opening II in the outer end thereof adapted to be closed with the usual type of lid (not shown) mounted on a hinge pin which extends through lug l2. Extending into box It] is journal M on which is mounted a bearing or brass l6. Interposed between the brass I 6 and the top I! of the box is the wedge 18. The box is provided with a stop I9 adapted for engagement with the end portion 20 of wedge I8 to limit relative movement therebetween.

Positioned opposite the end of journal I4 and spaced from end surface 2| thereof is the thrust receiving surface 22 on thrust block 23 adapted for engagement with the journal upon relative movement between the journal and the box in a longitudinal direction. Thrust block 23 is generally circular in shape and is made of bronze or other suitable bearing material. It also contains a threaded steel insert 24, the purpose of which will be explained later in the specification. Inward movement of thrust block 23 is prevented by the engagement of lugs 25 thereon with. vertically disposed abutments 26 on the sidewalls of the journal box. Any tendency for rotation of thrust block 23 upon being engaged by axle l4 when the latter is rotating is prevented by engagement of lugs 25 with side surfaces 2'! of journal box Ill.

Engaging the outer side 28 of thrust block 23 is a ring-shaped plate 29 to which is bonded a resilient pad 30 made of rubber or other suit- Outer side 3| of resilient pad 30 bears against abutment wall 32 of stop block 33. A centrally located boss 34 on stop block 33 extends into central opening 35 in pad 33. An annular flange 36 extending inwardly from wall 32 forms therewith a pocket 31 for housing pad 30.

In order to permit stop block 33 to swivel vertical y it is provided with laterally extending lugs 38, having cylindrically curved rear surfaces 39 which enga e corresnondinglv curved surfaces 40 of the sockets provided in abutments 4| formed on the side walls of the journal box. In addition to allowing the assembly to pivot about a horizontal axis the engaged cylindrical surfaces 39 and 40 on lugs 38 and abutments 4|, respectively, serve to support the stop block 33, which in turn maintains the thrust block 23 in a properly centered position with respect to the journal end. This positioning of the thrust block by the stop block is attained by means of a pair of flanges 42 and flange 43 on thrust block 23, which flanges extend into overlapping relationship with the stop block. Abutments 26 and 4| are so spaced as to require a preliminary compression of resilient pad 38 when the thrust block 23 and stop block 33 are in their normal assembled position. Thrust block 23 is thereby held in contact with abutments 23 in a vertical position with respect to the box. This pre-loading of the pad thus maintains the assembly in the correct operating position and also avoids any looseness of the parts as would cause undesirable noise and excessive wear in service.

It will be observed that my invention provides an arrangement whereby in service, as the journal assumes various angled positions and moves into engagement with thrust block 23, the resilient pad permits the block to adjust itself so as to maintain full surface contact with the end of thejournal up to the point where the thrust block end surface 28 is caused to engage stop block 33. Furthermore, the swivel mounting of sto block 33 serves to sup ort the entire unit without the need of additional parts. This mounting alsopermits pivoting of the entire unit about a horizontal axis upon a thrust from the journal while the latter is in a vertically an led position and thereby maintains a full surface contact bet een block 33 and the journal end.

lnner surfaces 44 and 45 of flange 36 and boss 34, res ectively, are flared so as to provide room for ex ansion of the rubber as it is compressed in operation between thrust block 23 and stop block 33. The rubber is partially confined by the flared surfaces as it is compressed, thereby increasing its load carrying properties as the compression is increased further. The resilient pad 30 is protected from damage by heavy end thrusts of the journal by the enga ement of surface 23 on block 23 with surface 47 on stop block A pocket 48 for collecting oil to lubricate thrust surfaces 2| and 22 is provided in the upper portion of member 23. This pocket is formed by an inner wall 49, outer wall 50, and end walls and communicates with an oil distributing groove 52 in thrust surface 22 by means of inclined passages 53. In operation oil from the reservoir in the lower portion of the box is thrown onto the upper [portion thereof and then drops into the pocket. Preferably the pockets are filled to the level of passages 53 when the thrust .unit is put in service to insure a constant feeding of oil to the thrust surfaces.

Thrust block 23 is formed by casting it around steel insert 24 which becomes an integral part thereof. Insert 24 has a threaded opening 46 for receiving an assembly bolt 54 (shown in dotdash in Fig. 2) which extends through opening 55 in stop block 33 and opening I I in the journal box. The assembly bolt has a shoulder 56 which bears against surface 5! on the stop block and as the bolt is screwed into insert 24, resilient pad 30 is compressed until surface 41 on stop block 33 engages surface 28 on thrust block 23. In this position surface 39 on lug 38 will be free of the upper end of surface 40 on abutment 4| and the entire assembly can be lifted vertically to clear zbutment 4| and then removed from the journal The purpose of insert 24 is to provide threads of sufficient strength to Withstand the stresses which are applied thereto during the process of drawing the thrust and stop members together.

Mounting of the unit in the box in an upside down position is precluded by stop l9 which will engage rib 58 on thrust block 23 if this member is in an inverted position.

Flanges 59 extending inwardly from the sides of the journal box and joining the lower ends of abutments 26 and 4| are provided to prevent members 23 and 33 from dropping out of position in case of failure of the resilient pad 30.

A further advantage of the invention is that suflicient clearance is provided between the thrust receiving unit and the top of the box to permit removal of bearing l6 and wedge [8 without the necessity of first removing the thrust receiving unit. The box is merely raised until stop I9 in the upper end thereof clears the top of end portion 20 of the wedge, after which the wedge may be slid forwardly and removed from the box through opening Thereafter the bearing may be removed. This feature is particularly advantageous whenever it becomes necessary to replace a bearing which has failed in service and normal repair shop facilities are not available.

The terms and expressions Which I have employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and I have no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, but recognize that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

What I claim is:

1. In a journal box a journal extending therein, a thrust receiving member facing the end of said journal and adapted to engage therewith 'upon movement of said journal in a direction her being adapted to engage said inner abutment means to limit inward movement thereof relative to said box, said outer abutment means having cylindrically curved sockets, said stop member having correspondingly curved portions received in said sockets to permit said stop mem ber to pivot with respect to said box, said inner and outer abutment means being so spaced longitudinally of said box as to maintain said cushioning means under initial compression.

2. In a journal box a journal extending therein, a thrust receiving member facing the end of said journal and adapted to engage therewith upon movement of said journal in a direction outwardly of the box; a stop member spaced outwardly of said thrust member, and cushioning means interposed between said thrust member and said stop member, said ibox having a pair of inner abutments and a pair of outer abutments at the sides thereof, said inner pair of abutments normally being in engagement with said thrust member to limit inward movement thereof, said outer pair ,of abutments being in engagement with said stop member to limit outward movement thereof, said pairs of abutments being so spaced longitudinally of the box as to maintain said cushioning .means under initial compression, said thrust receiving member having top and bottom flanges extending into overlapping relationship with said stop member for maintaining said thrust receiving member in correct operating position with respect to the'end of said journal.

3. In a journal box a journal extending therein, a thrust receiving member facing the end of said journal and adapted toengage therewith upon move ent of said journal in a direction outwardly of the 'box, a stop member spaced outwardly of said thrust membenand cushioning means interposed between said thrust member and said stop member, said boxhaving spaced abutment means extending inwardly from the .sides thereof, said thrust member and stop member extending between said abutment means and being urged into engagement therewith by said cushioning means, said thrust member having a threaded opening for receiving a threaded member during disassembly of said thrust and stop members from the box, said stop member having an opening in alignment with said threaded opening, the threaded member being adapted to extend through said opening in said stop member and when screwed into said opening in said thrust member being adapted to compress said cushioning means to move said members out of engagement with said abutment means to enable removal of said thrust and stop members from said box.

4. In a journal box a journal extending therein, a thrust receiving member facing the end of said journal and adapted to engage therewith upon movement of said journal in a direction outwardly of the box, a stop member spaced outwardly of said thrust member, cushioning means interposed between said thrust member and said stop member, and inner and outer abutment means at the sides of said box, said cushioning means urging said thrust member into engagement with said inner abutment means and urging said stop member into engagement with said outer abutment means, said outer abutment means having cylindrically curved sockets adapted to receive correspondingly curved portions on said stop member to enable limited rotation of said stop member about a horizontal transversely extending axis.

5. In a journal box a thrust receiving unit carried therein for cushioning end thrusts of the associated journal, spaced abutments at the sides of the box for retaining said unit in operating position, said unit comprising a pair of members facing the end of said journal and engaging said abutments, and a resilient pad interposed between said members, one of said members having a threaded opening for receiving a threaded member for drawing said pair of members together against the resistance of said pad to enable removal of said unit from said box.

6. A thrust receiving unit for a journal box comprising a journal engaging member, a stop member, and a resilient pad between said members and normally maintaining said members spaced apart, said stop member having convexly curved surfaces to enable pivotal movement of said stop member in a vertical plane, said journal engaging member having a member embedded therein and forming an integral part thereof, said embedded member having a threaded opening for receiving a threaded member for drawing said journal engaging member and said stop member together against the resistance of said pad.

7. In a journal box a journal extending therein, a thrust receiving unit mounted in said box for cushioning end thrusts of said journal, said unit comprising a thrust receiving member and a stop member spaced outwardly of said thrust receiving member, said box having spaced inner and outer abutments at the sides thereof, said members each having portions extending between said abutments, said outer abutments having concavely curved surfaces in engagement with correspondingly curved'surfaceson-said stop member to enable swivelling of said member in a vertical plane, said inner abutments having vertical surfaces in engagement with said thrust receiving member, and a resilient ad interposed between said members and being under initial compression to maintain the members normally in engagement with said abutments.

8. In a journal thrust receiving unit adapted to be inserted between spaced abutments at the sides of a journal box, a journal engaging member having a threaded opening therein, a stop member spaced outwardly of said first-named member, said stop member having a pocket facing said journal engaging member, and a resilient pad received in said pocket and being interposed between said members so as to cushion outward movement of said journal engaging member relative to said stop member, said abutments being so spaced as to maintain said pad under initial compression between said members, said stop member having an opening through which a threaded member may be inserted and screwed into said threaded opening in said journal engaging member to draw said members together to disengage said unit from said abutments.

9. In a journal box a journal extending therein, spaced inner and outer abutments on the sides of said box, a journal engaging member in contact with said inner stops, a stop member in contact between said outer stops, and cushioning means interposed between said members and being under initial compression to urge said members into engagement with said abutments, said outer abutments having concavely curved sockets for supporting said stop member and for enabling swivelling thereof in a vertical plane, said journal engaging member having means overlapping said stop member for maintaining said journal engaging member in correct operating position with respect to the end of the journal.

10. In a journal box a journal extending therein, spaced inner and outer abutments at the sides of the box, a thrust receiving member facing the end of said journal and engaging said inner abutments, a stop member positioned outwardly of said thrust receiving member and engaging said outer abutments, a resilient pad interposed between said members and urging them into engagement with said abutments, and means for enabling disassembly of said members from the box comprising a threaded opening in said thrust receiving member and a threaded member adapted to be inserted through an opening in said stop member and screwed into said threaded opening to draw said members together out of contact with said abutments.

11. A thrust receiving means for insertion into a railway journal box for cushioning end thrusts of a journal, said means comprising a thrust receiving member, a stop member, and spring means interposed between said members, said stop member having convexly curved surfaces for enabling rotation of said stop member relative to the journal box about a horizontal axis.

12. A thrust receiving means for cushioning end thrusts of a journal, comprising a thrust receiving member, a stop member and cushioning means interposed between said members, the ends of said members being adapted for insertion between spaced abutments at the sides of an associated journal box to compress said cushioning means, the ends of said stop member being eylindrically curved to enable pivotal movement of said stop member in a vertical plane,

said stop member having an opening through which a threaded member-is inserted during disassembly of said thrust receiving means from 5 .said box, the threaded member when screwed REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,882,478 Brittain Oct. 11, 1932 2,361,289 Harrington -Oct. 24, 1944 2,453,594 Reynolds Nov. 9, 1948 

